Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-01-21

which good spouses should always enter
tain. Ii they cannot come TO any agree
ment by bedtime they retire: and next
day everything is arranged Ill the most
desirable way. For thirty years they
have lived thus!
Flori enters the room. Until that day
although he had always been allowed
TO be present at the family councils, he
had 10 voice in them; he sat always mute
near the great clock. He does not sit
there to-day, but sits at the table, and
leans upon it with folded arms.
The old man looks at him, shakes his
head little. and asks him few unim-
portant questions: Flori Observes
1T must he SO arranged.
The old man turns his head, half closes
his eyes, as if he felt sleepy, and answers:
"What is that you say, Flori!'
Il say that if the farm is put in my
name, l cant live all alone"
"What do you mean!'
81 mean l want to get married"
"Indeed" exclaims the mother in an
icy tone.
II know a girl, continues the young
man; Il don't want to waste any time
over the matter; will be married in fif-
teen days from now"
The old man drums upon the table
with stiffened fingers. At last he asks:
May we be permitted to know who
you are going to marry?"
"Brona-Brona Stegbrunn.
"Indeed!' exclaims the old man in his
turn. And then, as he says nothing
more, the youth proceeds to explain the
/,
married; and he finds so many that he
does not need to give the true and only
real reason.
The mother shakes her head, as if to
drive away fly; the father is absolutely
petritied. He only opens his mouth to
say to his son, just as the latter is on the
point of leaving the room:
"Wait little while; we cannot agree. "
Then he rises, leans upon the table, and
proceeds to speak,
My dear Flori, you have been vast
ing your words on air-try to recall
them. AS for me. have heard nothing;
| do not want to hear anything of that
sort from you. If you want to marry,
you know to whom it is your first duty
to address yourself. You know that
your parents can only wish you well, and
can only design what they believe is good
for you They are not going to give you
a wife who will not suit you! Leave this
matter to them. Now you can go.
But Flori does not go.
is that your answer, father
"lt is not question, you may be per-
fectly certain
And the mother begins to take part in
the affair:
Have YOU gone perfectly crazy, Flori?
You could not have made a worse choice!
That girl is just everything which is unfit
for you. Hold your tongue and don't
answer me, you fool She is Just like
her parents! yes, you ought to have seen
them when they were rich, those people!
They would not then SO much as conde-
scend to look at us; they were nothing
but silks and velvets. And now that
they have squandered everything they
had-now, when they are beggars-now,
indeed, they would be only too glad to
get our son! Oh yes! And you think
she is pretty? I'd ike to know where
her prettiness is! I've never been able
to see it, And a nice housekeeper she'd
make for you-a nice housekeeper. in
deed. Holy Mother of God. Wouldn't
there be waste of money, and fine lady
airs enough! Why my milkmaid little
fingers worth her whole body! Marry
servant, if you wish, my son-so long as
it is girl who knows how to work. But
a girl who has been once well Off and
has nothing nOw!-never! So long as
we live, she'll never put her foot inside
this hou5e!"
The old man shakes his head; the
young man tries to reply; the mother
again protests, eXaggerates, invents,
works herself into a screaming passion
until the father cxclaims:
Enough of this, Anna; it is all mere
foolishncss!'
by thunder" shouts the young man,
stamping on the floor, Il will not permit
Brona TO be insulted. | will marry hertz
Fool eXclailns the old man, 'go
out in the yard if you want to shout and
swear. Ii would be a great deal better
for you to see that the manure is spread
on the turnip fields to-day; my arms are
paining me, and I'm sure it's going to
rain.
Father" returned the young man.
making great effort to control himself,
sever since I've been able to use my
hands and feet I've been working for
you! Many's the time I've been told l
was fool to keep working like that all
day long, from morning till night, winter
and SUMNER, the son of the family
but l never said anything; l kept on
working, just to please you. But now
things are different; and since you want
to prevent me from marrying, I'll do as
pleaser'
"Do just as you please!'
"Neither god nor devil shall prevent
me from marrying"
Some one knocks at the door,
"Come in' cries the old man.
1t is the rural officer, bearing a paper.
"What do you want now?"
"Nothing disagreeable; I've just got to
read this paper to you:
"In accordance with the law the petition of
Lorenz Purger, called Schwandhofer, and of his
wife Catherine Purger, owners of the Schwandorf
farm, praying the exemption of their son from
army service on the ground of his being the only
0f